Fluttersaiyan: The Six Months
by TH3C001
Summary: A side story to "Fluttersaiyan" that follows the six month gap in the story. Dako, plagued by nightmares of an unknown enemy, searches for a solution to a subconscious fear, his fear of weakness and helplessness. Now, Dako trains for six whole months, preparing for the lurking evil that haunts his dreams. Rated M for language.
1. Chapter 1: Nightmares

Chapter 1: Nightmares

I sat straight up in bed, breathing hard, sweating. I woke up Fluttershy, unfortunately.

"Dako, what's wrong?" she asked me, putting a hoof on my shoulder.

"I-I don't know. I'm fine though, trust me, I'm alright." I said, trying to catch my breath.

"Are you sure? Do you need a hug?" she asked.

"Aww, yes." I said, wrapping my arms around her. She held me tightly, well tight for her.

"What happened? Was it a nightmare?" she asked me softly.

"Yes. It was horrible." I said, still seeing it vividly. "I had to leave you, or something. Or maybe you had to leave me."

"Oh Dako, I would never leave you. I love you." She said reassuringly.

"Thank you Fluttershy, and I would never leave you. But it felt so _real_. I've never felt so helpless, and, and sad." I said, feeling worse.

She put her head against my chest and held me tighter. We lied back down and went back to sleep, but I still didn't sleep to well. I kept waking up through out the night, but each time I would remind myself that everything was okay, and I'd see Fluttershy in my arms, head under my chin.

The last time I woke up I saw some sunlight outside. I wanted to just get up and wake up, but I didn't want to stop holding Fluttershy. I stared at her, her beautiful face, mane, and eyes. She was so peaceful when she slept. The slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. The small twitches of her ears. I began stroking her mane. She smiled a little in her sleep.

I smiled too. She was so cute. I gave her a little kiss.

"Fluttershy, my sweet, sweet little pony." I whispered. Her ears twitched again.

I pulled her closer to me and began stroking her flanks. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at me.

"Good morning Dako." She said, smiling up at me.

"Good morning, Fluttershy." I said, giving her a small kiss on the forehead. She giggled a little.

"Are you ready to get up?" I asked her.

"If you are." She replied.

"Nah, maybe another five or ten minutes." I said to her, rolling onto my back, still holding her until she was lying on top of me. She gave me a kiss.

"I haven't slept well at all. I think soon I'll be able to sleep though. I'm pretty tired." I said to her.

"Oh Dako, I'm so sorry." She said, kissing me again on the forehead.

"It's okay." I said. "I'm just happy to have someone like you."

I put my arms around her, and she laid her head down on my chest. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. I was finally able to get some rest, well, for a little while at least. I had yet another nightmare. And this time, it was scarier than the last.

Again I sat up breathing hard, covered in sweat. As I sat up I heard Fluttershy squeal.

"Dako! What's happening are you okay?" She asked in a worried tone.

I woke up so shaken and freaked out that I forgot that Fluttershy was still lying on top of me.

"Oh, Fluttershy, I'm sorry. I forgot you were there, I-I had another nightmare." I said, trying to stop shaking.

"Again? Poor Dako, do you want to go see Twilight? Maybe she can help." Fluttershy suggested.

"I don't know. I don't wanna bug her." I said.

"Well at least tell me about it." Fluttershy insisted.

"Alright, there was some, guy. I never saw his face. I think he was a saiyan like me, he had some spiky hair, and he had my powers too. He was trying to hurt you guys, everyone. He was stronger than me, and I, I…" I couldn't remember much else. "That's it."

"Are you sure you don't want to see Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm sure. I'll be fine, be amazed as I instantly repress these nightmares! Abracadabra!" I said jokingly, trying to play it down.

With that Fluttershy and I decided to get up, well, kinda. I was already sitting up, so I just put my arms around her and held her tight as I floated out of bed. She squealed a little again, but began to laugh a little. I slowly floated out of the room and downstairs. I gently set her down on the couch, then I walked into the kitchen.

"Fluttershy, what do you want for breakfast?" I asked her.

"Oh, I'm fine, I'll get myself something." She said.

"Okay, are you sure?" I asked her.

"I'm sure." She said with a reassuring smile.

After eating breakfast I cleaned the dishes, and went outside to feed her animals. I was feeling a little tired, since I got little rest the night before. I've had nightmares before, and I used to have night terrors as a kid. But nothing compared to these nightmares. I was a little concerned, and with good reason. If I couldn't get any sleep with these nightmares, how would I ever sleep? And if I didn't have me rest or energy, what would I do if Equestria needed me?

"Fluttershy?" I called out, as I walked back inside.

"I'm in here." She said from another room.

"Fluttershy, I think I'm gonna go visit Twilight now. It's already 10:49, she's definitely up by now." I said. Fluttershy walked into the room.

"Okay, would you like me to go with you?" She asked.

"No, it's okay, I think it'd be better if I went alone." I said.

"Okay, be careful." She said before walking out.

"I will!" I called out as I walked outside.

I stood outside for a second, yawning. I was really tired, I could practically feel the bags under my eyes. I stretched a little, hoping to wake myself up some more, then I began powering up slightly. A few leaves on the ground gently blew away from me as I slightly raised my power level.

"Damn, I'm _really _tired." I said to myself. I jumped up and began flying, but with a little more effort than usuall.

"What the, am I, getting out of shape? Was I ever _in _shape?" I asked myself.

Flying was more difficult than it should have been. I eventually made it to Twilight's though. When I got there I knocked on the door, leaning on the door frame, somewhat exhausted.

"Oh, hello Dako, what brings you by?" Spike asked, answering the door.

"Oh, good morning Spike. Say, is Twilight here?" I asked.

"She's just reading. Hey, you don't look so good, are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm cool. Just didn't get much sleep last night. So, may I come in?" I said.

"Sure, she's up stairs." He said, shutting the door behind me.

I walked to the middle of the floor, so I could float up to her level.

"So, are you gonna fly up there?" Spike asked.

"I'm tryin'." I yawned, before lifting off the ground. I floated up to Twilight's level of the tree house.

"Good morning Dako. Whoa, you don't look so good." She said.

"Yeah, that's part of why I came to see you." I said, landing on the second story floor.

"Well, what is it?" She asked walking over to me.

"Look, uh, I've been having some nightmares recently. Um, I don't want to worry Fluttershy with anything, but, do you think you could check me out? See if you could find the cause?" I asked her.

"Well, I might have a spell or two." She said putting a hoof to her chin.

"Anything will help." I said.

"Okay I got it, lie down on my bed and we can start." She said.

I lied down on her bed, Twilight sitting in the chair next to the bed. She told me to close my eyes, her horn beginning to glow.

"Um, what is this going to do?" I asked her.

"This spell will allow me to see some of your nightmares. This will help me understand what you've seen, and what might be causing this. But first, I'll need to put you to sleep." She said.

"Okay doc, gimme the gas." I said.

"Okay, see you in a couple of minutes." She said.

I slowly drifted to sleep. In my dream, I was walking through Canterlot. It was strange, I had only been to Canterlot at least twice. Everything was gray, and there was snow everywhere. There wasn't a single pony in sight. A few buildings lie in ruin. It was creepy, I began seeing more and more destruction. I felt, scared, like I never had before.

After some walking around I stumbled upon the castle, it was damaged with a hole in its wall. I stepped in over the broken bricks. I saw Princess Celestia's crown lying in the middle of the floor. I felt terrified, like something awful was in the room with me. I got a cold sweat down my spine and ran out of the castle. It was a feeling like the whole place was haunted.

I began running down street after street, as fast as I could go. I couldn't escape the feeling of something evil, and scary. I was now running down every street in panic, filled with fear and terror, franticly trying to escape an unknown evil. Every corner, every turn, it felt like I was being watched, watched by some monster out of a horror movie. Every attempt at flying was met with disappointing failure. Then I heard the cold evil laughter. It was the kind of laughter that echoes through you, and gives you goose bumps.

I sat up in a panic, breathing heavy and soaked in sweat. I heard Twilight shout.

"What, what's wrong?" I asked, slightly frightened, still coming out of my nightmare.

"Nothing, you startled me." She said, calming herself. "Dako, what was all that?" She asked.

"I wish I knew. Now you see why I couldn't sleep." I said to her, wiping sweat off my forehead.

"Dako, I'm so sorry. That was awful, I could feel every second of it as though I were you." She said, heartfelt.

"I know, I don't think I've ever been scared like that." I said. "But what does any of it mean?" I asked.

"You couldn't fly." She pointed out. "I know it was a dream, but everything in a dream has its own significance, there's meaning.

"But, what does that mean?" I asked.

"You feel, powerless, or weak. That's how I would feel without my magic." She said.

"Okay, but what about Canterlot? What does that mean?" I asked, still trembling from the nightmare.

"I don't know, but that laughing. That was the worst part. Remembering it now its, its" she couldn't finish her sentence.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." I said to her. "Look, I'm gonna go home now. Do you mind if I come back tomorrow?" I asked her.

"No, I don't mind at all. But before you go, take this." She said, levitating a journal over to me.

"What's this for?" I asked, flipping through its blank pages.

"It's for you to record any nightmare you have. I want you to write down as much as you can remember after having a nightmare. It'll help you remember, then understand why you're having these nightmares." She said.

"Thank you, Twilight. I'll be sure to write down what I can." I said.

Later that night, as Fluttershy and I got ready for bed, I kept the journal on the nightstand next to my bed.

"Dako, I wish there was something I could do for you." Fluttershy said, rubbing her forehead against my chest.

"I'm okay Fluttershy, all I need is you here, right beside me." I said to her with a smile, stroking her mane.

"I love you Dako." She said.

"I love you too, Fluttershy." I said to her, lying down beside her.

Soon I fell asleep, with Fluttershy and I in each others arms, and I'd be ready for the nightmares now.


	2. Chapter 2: Therapy

Chapter 2: Therapy

It was the fifth night in a row that I woke up from another nightmare. I didn't want to wake Fluttershy up anymore, so I began sleeping on the couch downstairs. I sat on the sofa, rubbing my eyes.

"Goddammit," I muttered to myself. "What do I gotta do to get rid of this?"

I sat there for a little while just catching my breath, my heart was pounding. I was soaked in sweat, and didn't feel like I could go to sleep. Then I remembered the journal Twilight gave to me. I had been writing in it since she gave it to me. I opened it and quickly jotted down as much as I could recall, but the nightmare was fading.

Since I was awake, and since I was covered in sweat, I felt like getting up. I walked back and forth in the living room. I had literally nothing to do but walk. I walked over to a clock on the wall and squinted at it. It was only 1:37. I walked outside, looking for something to do.

It was cool outside, and there was dew on the grass. It was a clear night, no clouds. You could see all the stars, and there was a full moon. I slowly drifted up and onto the roof, landing gently at the top. I sat on top of the cottage, staring at the stars, and staring at the moon. I thought it was funny that there was a full moon, or that there was a moon at all. Being a saiyan, the moon is supposed to turn me into some giant monster if I stare at it. But, because I didn't have a tail, I wasn't affected by the moon at all, not in the slightest.

I sat there, thinking. "_What am I gonna do about these nightmares?_" I thought to myself. "_I can't keep going like this. There has to be something I can do._ _I have to figure out why I'm having these nightmares, why I'm so freaked out._"

After about an hour sitting on the roof, I jumped down, went inside and went back to the couch. I tried to get some sleep, but almost every hour I woke up in terror from another nightmare. I was honestly starting to get sick of it. But it didn't stop me from trying to go back to sleep every time. Eventually morning came, and I could finally get up.

My alarm clock was going off, but I was already awake. I walked over to the couch and turned off my alarm clock. I was in the kitchen making breakfast when it went off. In the time I had been here I learned how to cook a bunch of different vegetarian type foods. I miss meat so much, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, but not so much fish, which sucks since there's plenty in the streams around Fluttershy's cottage. Either way, I was finally able to satisfy my saiyan appetite now that I could cook things that had, well, what's the word I'm looking for, flavor.

"Good morning Dako, how did you sleep?" Fluttershy asked, yawning. She had come down the stairs about five minutes after my alarm went off, I guess she heard it.

"Good morning Fluttershy. I didn't sleep much better than the other nights, in fact, I think the nightmares are getting worse." I said to her.

"Oh, my poor Dako." She said, walking over to me.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Here, have some breakfast." I said bringing a plate to the table.

"Dako, oh my goodness, have you seen the circles under your eyes!?" She said worriedly, staring at me.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, don't worry about me. Saiyans like me are tough, we can handle lots of things, watch." I said to her.

I slowly put my hand on the frying hot skillet, completely unharmed, then I took my hand off of the skillet, and showed her I was fine. I heard her gasp.

"Dako, please don't do that!" She said.

"It's okay, I told you, I'm fine. Now, go ahead and eat up. I've already eaten, I'm about to go see Twilight for my therapy session." I said to her, leaving the kitchen.

I walked over to the side table next to the couch, where my clothes were folded up and ready for me. I got dressed and ready to go.

"Alright baby, I'm heading out." I said to her, yawning.

"Dako, please don't tell me you're going to fly." She said with worry.

"Well, yeah, I don't see anything wrong." I said.

"Dako, you're too weak, just, teleport over there." She suggested.

"I'm fine, trust me. I don't have to flap wings to fly, I use my energy." I said to her, even though she already knew.

"Well, you're already sleep deprived. How can you have any energy for flying?" She asked.

"Okay, it's a combination of energy, and will power. Like lifting a heavy weight, if you really want to lift it then you will." I said. "Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine."

As it turned out though, I wasn't, "just fine" because on my way over to Twilight's I suddenly lost the strength to keep going, and fell. As I was pretty tired, and was straining to just stay in the air. I took a few breaks; landing so I could stretch, catch my breath or something, and then continue on. But just as I was approaching Twilights tree house I simply lost the strength to fly, I began falling. I was already moving forward, but I began falling, and ended up crash landing on the balcony outside of her bedroom window.

"Ah!" I heard her scream. I stood up slowly, trying not to fall over, and saw her walk up to the window. I smiled at her, embarrassed about the whole thing.

"Dako, what happened, did you forget how to fly or something?" She said, giggling, then gasping. "Dako, have you gotten _any _sleep?" She said, suddenly noticing the circles under my eyes.

"Oh my god." I said under my breath. "I'm fine! You guys worry about me way too much!" I groaned.

"Come inside and lie down right now! Before we start our therapy lessons I'm gonna make you take a nap or something." She said, motioning for me to come in.

I sat down on her bed. It was the best thing I could focus on at the moment, a bed. I won't lie, although I'm tough and all, I was incredibly tired, and if there was one thing I wanted most in the world right now, it would be a bed. One that I could just lie down on, shut my eyes, and drift off to sleep.

"Twilight, if I take a nap I might have another nightmare. So if I do take a nap then you might want to be ready for that spell of yours." I said to her, lying down on the bed.

"Okay, I'm ready right now, you just go to sleep and get some rest, I'll join you as soon as you fall asleep." She said.

I slowly fell asleep. It was strange, I was actually having a nice dream for once. I was having a picnic with the others. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, and I were all having a picnic together. It was a nice sunny day. We were eating our own sandwiches, telling jokes and laughing, pretty much having a great time.

"Hey Twilight, can you pass me a cupcake?" I asked her. She levitated one over to me, winking as she did. I figured that it was the real Twilight, but she was sharing my dream so she could see what was going on.

We were all fine until the sky got dark out of nowhere. There was a dark cloud that came out from over the forest. The wind picked up and began blowing everything away. I stood up against the sudden storm as the others ran, all of them except for Twilight. She stood by me, watching.

The entire picnic was blown away at this point. I could feel it wasn't just a storm, there was something else inside it, something evil. I jumped up and into the air, ready to attack the storm. Lightning bolts lashed out all around me, but I dodged every single one of them. Then a haunting memory hit me. I remembered the storm that first brought me here. I was suddenly filled with panic as I saw the funnel of a tornado coming towards me.

I instantly spun around to head back to the ground, but no matter how hard I flew I couldn't get away from it. I was inches from the funnel, it was all over. I was about to be sucked back out of this world. I kept going at full power, but I made one little slip, and got sucked into the funnel. I could see the ground below me receding quickly, as I was pulled into the darkening tunnel.

I sat up in Twilight's bed, breathing heavy and covered in sweat like always. I heard Twilight gasp as she sat up in the chair next to me. She must've fallen asleep too while she was in my dream. She was breathing hard as well.

"Dako, what are we gonna do to fix you?" She said hopelessly.

"I wish I knew. So, what can you conclude from that session?" I asked her.

"I'm not sure. I know from the first time you came to visit I could feel a strong feeling of helplessness, and fear. From this one and the others, you felt a sense of weakness." She said, trying to recall past sessions.

"I don't get it, I'm the strongest thing in Equestria next to Princess Celestia." I said confused.

"Dako, I don't think these are exactly fears or personal shortcomings. I think these might be a warning of things to come. Remember the dream about Canterlot? You could hear laughter from someone you never saw. You keep writing down in your journal about a mysterious spiky haired guy who's way stronger than you. And that tornado thing? Do you see what I'm talking about?" She said.

"I think so. But, what does it all mean? I mean, put simply." I asked her.

"I think there's something coming. You know it deep down, but you don't know what it is. Also, you feel like whatever is coming, you're powerless to stop it. In comparison you feel weak against it." She said.

"What does that mean? I'm already a lot stronger than I was when I got here. What could be stronger than me?" I asked.

"I don't know. But I don't think it'd be a bad idea for you to train for this thing. If I were you I would prepare for the worst." She said.

"So, what can I do?" I asked.

"It seems to me that the best thing you can do is, 'work out'." she said.

"Huh. Well, I guess if I'm gonna work out, I'll need your help." I said.

"What kind of help?" She asked.

As it turned out, I was much stronger than most gyms could handle. Every place I visited didn't have enough weight for me, I could easily lift it all. And trying to lift boulders or other things would be inconvenient due to the fact that I wouldn't be able to get a good grip on them. Instead, I got Twilight to put a spell on my wristbands in order to make them heavier.

For a while, it would feel like I was walking around in a heavy environment, like the surface of Saturn, or another big planet with strong gravity, but it would all pay off in the end. For now I just decided to head back to Fluttershy's, and I felt just a little rested after the nap at Twilight's.

The flight home was a lot easier than the flight to the library, except for the weight on my arms, I could hold them out in front of me, or to my sides, I just let them dangle. Twilight made each armband magically weigh about 200 pounds each which we agreed should be plenty, although now I was starting to regret it.

I finally made it home and landed outside the door. I strained to lift an arm to the doorknob, then opened the door.

"Hey Fluttershy, I'm Back!" I said, walking in.

Fluttershy was lying on the couch, and the lights were dimmed a bit.

"Oh, hi Dako, sorry about the light, I got a headache and needed to turn them down, but I'm fine now, you can turn them back up." She said.

"Okay, just a second." I said, trying to lift my arm to the switch on the wall.

Fluttershy looked a little concerned when she noticed the effort I was putting in just to lift my arm. I hit the switch, and tried to let my arm slowly fall back down.

"Dako, are you alright?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" I asked.

She got off of the couch and walked over to me.

"Well, you seem, weak. Are you sure you're ok?" She asked.

"Yes, Twilight just magically made my wristbands weigh about 200 pounds each, that way I can get stronger. We figured my nightmares were because I felt weak and unable to protect Equestria." I explained.

"Oh Dako, you're not weak, why would you think such a thing?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't, but subconsciously I do." I said, walking to the other room.

Fluttershy followed me. As I stood there thinking, staring at the back door I felt Fluttershy tap my wrist with her hoof.

"Yup, these wristbands should help me get stronger in no time, and all I have to do is go about my normal business and daily life!" I said.

"Are they really heavy, to you I mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"No they're _heavy _heavy, watch." I said, slipping one off of my arm.

It fell to the floor with a heavy thud that shook the floor and made the floor board bow inward a little. I bent over and struggled to pick it up off of the ground and slip it back over my arm.

"Dako, I don't think that's safe." Fluttershy said.

"Don't worry, it's quite alright. Now, let's go and do something so I can get stronger." I said, walking out the back door.

I struggled to lift an already otherwise heavy bag of chicken feed and carry it over to the chicken coop. I took it inside and began pouring food into the chicken feeder, then grabbed the eggs in a basket sitting inside the coop. I walked out of the chicken coop then went to check on the rabbits in their cages.

"Dako, I really think you should let me do all of this, I think you're doing to much at once." Fluttershy said flying over beside me.

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. If I get tired I'll rest, but for right now I'm ok." I said, trying to reassure her.

I kept working for about an hour. Slowly getting used to the wristbands new weight, but not necessarily getting stronger just yet.

After work I walked back in the cottage and sat down on the couch, taking my wristbands off and setting them on the floor. I moved my arms around effortlessly, they felt incredibly light now.

"Wow, imagine how strong I'll be after a couple of weeks!" I said.

"Dako, I just want you to be careful." Fluttershy said, sitting down on the couch next to me.

"I know honey, I will be." I said, hugging her.

Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around me and squeezed me. Then she leaned back a little bit, and kissed me on the lips. I jumped back a bit slightly surprised.

"Fluttershy? Are you, alright?" I asked her.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I just, did you not like that?" She started frantically.

"Whoa, it's ok, everything's alright, you just surprised me" I said.

Out of all the times we had cuddled or hugged each other she had never done this. I had kissed her on the head before, and she kissed me on the cheek, but she never kissed me on the lips before.

"So, you did like it?" She asked.

"Well, I'm not going to lie to you, yes." I said.

She smiled a little.

"Oh good, I was worried that I made a mistake, or that you'd think I was weird or-." I interrupted her.

"No Fluttershy, I wouldn't think that. To be honest I didn't know what to think at first, you took me by surprise." I said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just worried about you recently, and with all the nightmares you've been having and then going to Twilight I just-." I interrupted her again, this time by kissing her back on the lips, holding there for about two seconds, then pulling back.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine." I said to her.

Her face started to turn just a little bit red. But otherwise she didn't seem too shocked.

"I love you Fluttershy, and you know that. And you know I wouldn't do anything too reckless, because I don't want to scare you, and I'd never want to leave you." I said.

"Come on Fluttershy, let's go to bed, it's late." I said, picking her up in my arms.

"Ok." She said, putting her forelegs around me, hugging me again.


	3. Chapter 3: The Seasons Change

Chapter 3: The Seasons Change

It has been two months since Twilight first increased the weight of my wristbands so I could get stronger. It was about a week after she did that for me that I went back to ask her to weigh down my boots and my belt as well, so that I could work out other parts of my body. When I had even more weight it was worse than when it was just my wristbands, but eventually I got used to it. At first I had the two 200 pound wristbands, then I got a 200 pound belt, and each boot increased to 200 pounds as well, for a new grand total of 1000 pounds on my body. Now trying to fly felt like my very first time flying ever, being extremely difficult just to get myself off of the ground. But eventually I was used to it.

Now it was about fall, things were starting to cool down, and the leaves were beginning to change their color. I was out with Fluttershy that day to watch the annual running of the leaves. This time Applejack and Rainbow Dash were competing together rather than against each other, and Twilight had decided not to reenter despite the fact she had gotten 5th place the last time she entered. Now that I was here I decided to enter as well, and since I was wearing my weights it would be a great exercise.

"So Dako, you think you have a chance in this race against the two of us!?" Rainbow Dash asked me.

"I think I'll do fine, I don't expect to win or anything." I said, stretching my legs.

"I gotta warn ya, Rainbow Dash and I have been working hard to prepare for this years runnin' of the leaves." Applejack said.

"Oh, is that so? Well, don't be surprised if I win, what with my saiyan endurance, speed, stamina…" I said.

"Oh yeah? Well who has four legs while you only have two? We do!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Okay, so don't be surprised if I lose either, what with the weights Twilight is making wear." I said, continuing to stretch.

"Yeah, how much weight do ya got on anyhow?" Applejack asked.

"Hm, I have 1000 pounds, if I remember correctly." I said, trying to recall the exact weight.

"1000 pounds!? How are you going to run in a race with half a ton on you?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, now that you mention it, I could take these weights off for the race." I said smiling. "But that would be a little unfair, since I'm used the weight by now, and I would only be doing better to run without the weights."

"On second thought, you're fine, go ahead and keep the weights on, you said it yourself, you're fine." Rainbow Dash said, nervously.

We all got ready for the race, everypony meeting at the starting line. We were all prepared and waiting.

"Go Dako! You can do it!" Fluttershy cheered softly from the crowd.

I turned to wave at her.

"Come one Dako, show them what you can do!" Twilight cheered.

"Hey, what about us?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"What, we can't cheer for all our friends, besides, I know you guys will do great." Twilight said.

"Don't worry Rainbow, we can do this." Applejack said.

"Now, Dako, are you sure you can do this with all of your weights on? Maybe you could take off, your belt, or your wristbands, or even your boots?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Just relax and watch the race, okay honey?" I said to her.

"Racers on your marks!" The mayor called.

"Get ready, get set, go!" The mayor shouted, waving the starting flag.

Everyone took off, including me. Everypony was a lot faster than I had imagined, but it was all good for me, I wasn't really trying just yet. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were already out ahead of me, so I caught up to them and ran up beside them.

"So, how are you guys feeling now?" I asked.

"How did you get up here?" Applejack asked.

"That's not important, see you at the finish line!" I said, slowly moving ahead of the rest of the crowd.

I kept on going, running past all the other ponies and eventually taking a lead over the entire race. When I looked back I noticed just how far ahead I was, I couldn't help but laugh just a little. I felt something during the race though, something in the air, it started to get a little bit cooler, and the sky was turning gray.

"Eh, it's just the fall sky." I said to myself.

I kept running the race, but I began to slow down, then stopped for a few seconds.

I was all alone now, everyone else was behind me. I looked around and felt a slight breeze picking up. The air felt colder now, and some of the leaves were beginning to blow around. I could hear a faint rumbling in the distance.

"What the heck? Is this some kind of, storm?" I said.

Then I felt a drop hit me on the face. I looked up to the dark clouds above. The clouds were moving around above, and thunder continued to rumble.

"Yup, definitely a storm, this could cancel the race." I thought out loud.

I started to run again, I knew the finish line wasn't very far, if I could make it before the storm started then I'd be fine. But then I'd have to get the others that were in the race and make sure nothing happened. So I continued on.

The rain started now, and began pouring down. The trail was getting a little slick and muddy, but it didn't seem like it was anything too dangerous. I was getting a little concerned at how much rain was coming down in such a short period of time. I stopped when I got to an old bridge in the woods. The creek underneath it was raging by now. I could hear the shouting of the other racers approaching behind me. I put my arms out to try and get them to stop. The sound of hoofsteps over the sound of rain slowly faded out.

I turned to look at the crowd and noticed Rainbow Dash pushing her way to the front of the crowd.

"Dako, what's the big deal? I'm cold and wet, why did you make us all stop?" She shouted at me angrily.

"Look, that creek is rising fast, in fact, just two minutes ago it was under the bridge." I said.

I could hear some murmuring from the crowd, ponies looking at each other and chattering.

"So what, can we get out of this storm now?" Rainbow Dash said.

"I don't know, can you tell me where the bridge is?" I asked her, stepping to the side.

She took a step or two forward and squinted at the creek, then her eyes widened a little.

"The bridge, it's gone!" She said surprised.

"Exactly, we have to turn around, I'm afraid no one will be finishing this years running of the leaves." I said.

"Ok, so what do we do, just head for the finish line?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know, look around us, we're currently in a valley. With the rate the creek is rising it could flood this place if it overflows its banks." I said.

"Right, we should move quickly." Applejack said, turning around with in the crowd.

The racers began walk back, they were all tired from the fact they were already running, and decided to just walk. I was following closely behind the crowd, but began cutting up to the front to walk with Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

"So guys, who was winning out of the two of you?" I asked them.

"Well, to be honest, we were pretty much neck and neck the whole time." Applejack said smiling.

"Yeah, but I was only letting you keep up with me." Rainbow Dash replied.

"That's what you think, but I wasn't even tryin' my hardest." Applejack said.

"Easy guys, it doesn't matter now, now we're just trying to make sure we can get out of here safely, which is what I really wanted to talk to you guys about." I said.

"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, let's say something goes wrong. I need you two to lead a backup plan with me. I need you guys to lead everyone out of the valley, you'll need to take them up the hill and back to the starting line." I said.

"Ok, we can do that." Applejack said.

We only walked for another couple of steps until I took one last step and began to sink into the mud. Rainbow Dash and Applejack turned to see me struggling. Both my legs were now knee deep in the mud.

"Dako, what's happening?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm fine, I must've stepped in a soft spot, all these weights of mine, they're making me sink into the ground." I said, trying to pull myself out ground.

"Well, just fly out, you can fly out, right?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, I'm kinda trying to right now, but the suction gets stronger every time I pull." I said.

I looked down at my legs and saw some water run past my legs around me. I turned to see the water flowing towards us, it was rising quickly and rushing fast.

"Guys you've gotta go, I can get myself out, just take everypony to the start line!" I shouted, trying to pull my legs out, the water quickly rising to my waist.

The other ponies began running from the water, but Rainbow Dash and Applejack stayed.

"We're not leavin' you, we can't!" Appljack shouted, trying to pull me out under my arms.

"No, don't stay here, go!" I yelled trying to dig the mud out with my hands, the water now up to my chest.

"No, we're not leaving until you're out of there and can run with us!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Alright, stand back, I've got an idea!" I yelled as I stuck my hands under the water.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash took a couple of steps back as I formed an energy ball in my hands. The water around me began to boil. I fired the energy ball at the ground just in front of my legs, blasting at the soft soil. The impact and explosion sent muddy water flying high up into the air. I quickly hopped out of the crater and above the surface of the water.

"Darn it Dako, you could've warned us first!" Applejack said wiping mud off of her face.

"I told you guys to stand back, now, let's go!" I shouted, dropping back into the water and running with them.

As we started running we got to a shallow spot where the water was only ankle deep. But soon the water was rising again, rising quicker than we could outrun. We caught up to the group up ahead.

"Applejack, Rainbow Dash, take the group up the hill, I'm gonna try and stop the water." I said to them, stopping in my tracks.

"Wait, what?" Rainbow Dash said, stopping just ahead of me.

"You heard him, we gotta save these ponies!" Applejack shouted back, still running with the crowd.

Rainbow Dash stood staring at me for a couple of seconds, turned to look at the crowd of ponies, then looked back at me.

"Don't hurt yourself Dako, you know we don't want to let Fluttershy know you drowned out here, ok?" She asked me. "You know that would destroy her, so please, don't do anything stupid."

"Don't worry about me, just tell her I'm running late and that I'll be there." I said.

Rainbow Dash nodded, then turned and started running back towards the group. I stood there in the flooding valley looking around.

"Ok, so now what do I do?" I though out loud.

I had only been standing still for less than a minute, and the water was up to my waist again. I looked at the rocky, jagged mountain sides around me. I raised a hand to my side, aiming at the mountain top. I fired a small yellow energy ball at the mountain top. There was a small explosion that caused a couple of large rocks and some gravel to slide down the side and into the path in front of me.

"That could do it." I said to myself. "All I need to do is trigger a rockslide to block off the rest off the valley."

I aimed back at the mountain top and fired several more energy balls, dislodging more and more rocks, triggering a small rockslide to roll into the valley. I turned the mountain top on the opposite side, and fired several times. The rocks slid down and splashed into the water, filling the gap. The water was now up to my chest, I floated up and out of the water and to check the other side. I could see that the level was significantly lower, the wall was holding.

I was just about to take off when I heard someone calling for help behind me.

"Huh, who's there? Where are you?" I called out.

I heard the voice again, and saw someone waving for help. I quickly flew over to them. There was a mare holding on to a tree in the high water. I flew down to them and put my arm under them.

"Quickly, get on my back so I can fly us out of here!" I yelled.

The soaked mare climbed on my back and held on tight, I slowly drifted out of the water and started to fly off. There was a large explosion and bright flash just off to my side. A lighting bolt struck the tree the mare was just hanging onto. The tree broke where it was struck and fell over into the water with a large splash.

"Boy, talk about timing, huh?" I said to the shivering cold mare on my back.

"No offense, but could you just get us out of here?" She shouted in fear.

I quickly took off and began flying for the start line. I could see the trail Applejack and Rainbow Dash had made as they went up the hill, and I couldn't see anypony else, so I had hoped they all made it out all right.

I continued flying over the flooded trail, rounding a corner where the water stopped rising and flew over the top of a hill. On the other side I could see the large crowd of racers and the ponies in the audience. I flew down to see them and set the soaking wet mare down. I looked around the crowd that was starting to cheer, and saw Twilight and the others making their way towards me.

I heard them all shout my name as they crowded around me, then I fell to the ground when I was tackled by Fluttershy who jumped in my arms.

"Oh Dako, I'm so glad you're safe, I was so worried about you!" She cried.

"It's okay, I'm fine, I got out of there alright." I said.

"Dako, what happened?" Twilight asked.

"Besides the rain and flash flood, a lot of things happened. But everyone's ok, I think." I said.

"It was so nice out today, and those scary dark clouds came out of nowhere, then it started raining like crazy!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Yeah, some kind of crazy storm, I'm just glad no one got hurt and that we were able to get out of there in time." I said.

"Well, you gave us all quite a scare staying behind like that, we didn't know what to expect when Rainbow Dash told us you weren't with them." Rarity said.

"Thank goodness you're alright though, now, if we could get to some shelter, it's cold, windy, and we're all pretty soaked." Twilight said.

"Sure, I'd like to get out of this rain." I said.

We all left and headed to the library. Twilight had plenty of towels for us so we could dry off and warm up with. We were all out in the rain for at least two hours and were soaked to the bone. Now we were all sitting around talking about the day's events, and I had Fluttershy in my arms.

"Yup, that sure was crazy. The rain just started and kept coming like there was no end." I said.

"So wait, Rainbow Dash and Applejack told me you got stuck in the mud for a little while, what happened?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, well I was running right? I took one step in some really soft stuff and just sank right in. I put my other foot in front of me to keep from falling over and got it stuck too." I said.

"But how come you didn't just fly out, silly?" Pinkie Pie asked smiling.

"Well, I started to sink in up to my knees, then when I tried to fly it seemed to pull me down harder, and it felt like I was gonna rip my legs off." I said.

"I see. It was almost like being in quicksand. And I bet those weights of yours didn't help at all." Rarity added.

"Nope, 1000 pounds on just two legs in really soft mud is just asking for trouble. No support at all, like how a needle just pokes into fabric or something." I said.

"I'm just so glad you're ok." Fluttershy said, hugging me tightly to her.

Everyone "Aw'd" at us.

"It sure was a crazy day, and even though these weights almost ended me, I think I want more added." I said.

Everyone gasped, especially Twilight.

"What, but you said yourself you had on 1000 pounds!" Applejack said.

"I know, and I'm 1000 pounds stronger now. But now I think I want to be 2000 pounds stronger. In fact, why not jump up to 3000." I suggested boldly.

"Wait, let me see one of those wristbands." Rainbow Dash said.

I slipped the wristband on my right arm off and dropped it on the floor, landing with a heavy thud on the floorboards. The others gasped softly. Rainbow Dash walked over to the wristband, she took a hoof and tried to slide it across the floor. It wouldn't budge. She then put two hooves on it and pushed with all her strength with her hind legs. Finally, she began flapping her wings, almost full force, finally being enough to move the wristband about three inches. The others were astonished, and the look on Rainbow Dash's said no different.

"Dako, I think you have enough weight." Twilight said flatly.

"Well, not anymore, look." I said lifting the wristband almost effortlessly. "It feels like a feather now. I need more, no ifs ands or buts." I said.

"Dako, you're much stronger now, I seriously don't think-." I interrupted Twilight.

"The nightmares haven't stopped. I need more weight." I said.

Twilight was hesitant at first for sure, but eventually she agreed, but she only agreed to give me 2000 pounds instead of 3000. It was enough for the time being, but until then I'd have to keep getting stronger, and deal with the nightmares.

For the next couple of days afterward I struggled to get used to the new weight, but it wouldn't be long until I was used to it and ready for more weight. But for now, it was exercise almost daily.


End file.
